Next Time
by Punny GEM
Summary: A suspenseful story about what happens while SG1 are prisoners. What will their captor do Next?


Title: Next Time

Author: Green Eyed Monster (GEM)

Email: Complete

Category: Angst

Pairings: None

Spoilers: None

Season: Not specific

Sequel/Series Info: None

Rating: T

Content Warnings:

Summary: What could be worse than waiting and worrying as your teammate is interrogated? Jack will find out. Next Time.

Disclaimer: Stargate SG-1, its characters and all related entities are property of Stargate SG-1 Productions (II) Inc., MGM Worldwide Television Productions Inc., Double Secret Productions, Gekko Film Corp and Showtime Networks Inc / The SciFi Channel. No copyright infringement is intended.

Archive: Please ask if you want to use it somewhere

Author's Note:

Next Time

All four team members looked up as the door was opened. Finally, after who knew how long - hours, at least, maybe a whole day - their captors were returning.

"What a surprise! If we knew you were coming, we'd have baked a cake." Jack quipped sarcastically. He was trying to focus their attention on him, gain control of the situation - well, as much control as you can have while locked into a dog run - or, at the very least draw unwelcome attention to himself rather than his team.

The four men barely glanced in his direction. They went to the nearest cage. Daniel's.

Daniel was escorted out with one captor holding each arm. He put up a token resistance, pulling back against them and attempting to snatch his arms free. More to let them know of his defiance than to really escape. It was obvious to all that there was little chance of that. The others watched impassively, knowing that showing their concern could encourage their captors to use it against them.

Shortly after, the three remaining members were given food by yet another silent guard. None moved to touch it while he remained. When he had left, they examined the dark, bread-like wedges.

Jack cautiously sampled his. "It's sweet!" he exclaimed, covering his mouth with one hand as if to spit it out. Deliberately lowering his hand, he swallowed with difficulty. Teal'c and Carter watched him. "Rule number one - keep up your strength for an escape. Eat." He said, taking another mouthful. The others followed suit.

Carter swallowed the sickly sweet mouthful. "It'th cake." She tried to clear her mouth with her tongue. "Very rich cake."

"What?" Jack was looking at her.

"Cake, sir. It's like a very sweet, rich cake."

"Did you not mention cake when they came for Daniel Jackson?" Teal'c asked.

Jack look annoyed. "Come on! You don't think they brought this because of what I said! It's coincidence." He lifted his beverage. It was, impossibly, even sweeter. He closed his eyes and forced himself to swallow.

"Do you think it's possible?" Carter asked.

"What? That the chef was just waiting to hear what we said was on the menu?" Jack snapped at her, his worry about Daniel shortening his temper.

Carter looked away. "Suppose not, sir. They probably wouldn't even know what 'cake' was, anyway."

They passed the time in silence. They had explored their minimalist environment long before Daniel was taken. Their pens, each about six feet long, but only four feet high and wide. Made of thumb-thick bars placed inches apart, wide enough to reach an arm through but not a torso. A gate on one end, with a featureless square metal box fastening it securely closed. The box shocked them when they touched it, but politely opened for the guards. The pens - dog runs, the colonel had called them - were set far enough apart that the occupants could not touch one another. Beyond that there were just the walls. Four of them. White. Unmarked. Undecorated. Giving off an unchanging light that provided illumination but gave no sense of time. And a door that rarely opened. Until they had come for Daniel, their captors had shown surprisingly little interest in them.

Finally, after another unknown interval, the door opened and Daniel was returned. His escorts dragged his limp body into the room and unceremoniously dumped him back into his cage.

"Daniel? Daniel? Can you hear me?" Carter, nearest him, called to him. He did not move. "He's unconscious, sir. But I can see that he's breathing." She stretched her hand toward him even though the enclosures were too far apart for any of the prisoners to touch one another.

They waited in silence for what seemed like a very long time. It was hard to tell when there were no windows, or watches, or anything that changed in the room about you.

Suddenly, Daniel awakened. He started violently, flailing around him as if to ward off attack.

"Daniel!" "Daniel!" "Daniel Jackson!" They all called to him, trying to help him realize that he was, for the moment anyway, safe. After a few moments, he seemed to recognize that no one was fighting back. And then that the voices of his friends were calling to him.

He turned to them, squinting to clear his vision. "Jack? Sam? Teal'c?"

"We're here, buddy. Are you ok?" Jack asked softly.

"Oh, God, Jack, they - " The door opened and the four guards entered. They walked toward Daniel's pen. Daniel sprang into a defensive crouch.

Jack shouted at them, demanding to be taken instead, insulting them, anything he could think of to redirect their attention from Daniel to himself. They ignored him and focused their efforts on the other man. Daniel resisted, doing his best to stay in the relative safety of the little enclosure. He delayed the inevitable for several long minutes.

When he was finally outside the cage, Daniel's desperate determination dissolved into sheer panic. He struggled and cried out for Jack as he was drawn inexorably toward the door.

Jack raged against his confinement, all disciplined thoughts of proper captive behavior vanishing in the face of his ward's hysterical frenzy. He lost sight of his friend as he was taken out of the room.

"Jaaaack!"

The echoes of Daniel's scream faded away and still Jack raged against his cage. "Sir! Sir! Colonel!" Carter called to him, but he did not appear to hear.

"O'Neill!" Teal'c shouted.

Jack paused at the loud sound.

"It's too late, sir. They've taken him." Carter said quietly.

"I have to get out of here! I have to save him! You heard him calling me. He needs me to help him and I can't!" The anger and frustration strangled his voice. Their proud, confident leader liked to be the one in control. Confinement was difficult on him. Safe confinement while one of his charges was dragged away to face who-knew-what was intolerable.

"I can't," he repeated, quieter this time, helplessness taking over from the anger. Daniel had cried out for him - for Jack, not the team -- to save him. Screamed. Begged, pleaded for Jack to rescue him. And he hadn't been able to do a damned thing about it.

"Are you ok?" Carter asked, noting that he had bloodied his hands in his desperate struggle against the bars.

"I'm peachy! Just peachy!" he snapped. "How do you think I am? Kenneled like a dog while they haul Daniel away. Did you see how terrified he was? God! What they must have done to him last time…." His voice trailed off. He punched the bars of his cage suddenly. "And now they are going to do it again! While I just _sit_ here!" He began kicking the bars.

"O'Neill. It does not seem that you will be able to kick through the bars."

Teal'c's calm voice irritated the hell out of him. "I can't just sit here and do nothing! They're hurting him! Don't you understand that? They may be killing him! I have to do something!" His voice had risen again and he resumed striking the bars. They bore the force impassively, not even giving the trivial satisfaction of rattling.

"I am not suggesting that we do nothing. I merely point out that your present course of action is serving no purpose other than to injure you and sap your strength." Jack kept kicking, now striking at the little locking-box despite the shocks it gave him in return. "O'Neill."

Jack stopped kicking and looked at him. Sighing, he said "You're right, Teal'c. We need to be working on an escape plan. Something to do when they come back. Some way to help Daniel. I just needed to vent some frustration first." The Jaffa nodded gravely.

……

The Goa'uld was waiting when they brought Daniel back to the interrogation room. Daniel almost laughed at the thought. More like a torture chamber. And that sick Goa'uld bastard sitting back and enjoying the show the whole time. Except when he decided to participate, but Daniel wasn't going to think about that. He _wasn't_ going to think about that.

The Goa'uld berated his servants for their difficulties in bringing their prey to him. If a weak little Tau'ri could cause them such trouble, they were unfit to serve their god. Still, the spectacle had amused him. Once. If they took so long next time, they would share the Tau'ris fate.

_Next time_, thought Daniel, _oh, please God don't let there be a Next Time_.

The Goa'uld saw the look pass over his victim's face and laughed. "You do not wish to share my company another time?" He stroked Daniel's face gently, and smiled again.

Unable to think of a smart retort - _Jack would have said something to wipe that smirk off the Goa'uld's face_ - Daniel spit at the abhorrent face of his captor. The Goa'uld wiped the spit off his face, looked at his hand, and then wiped it on Daniel's face. Cradling Daniel's chin as a father might a child's, he smiled and said, "You'll pay for that."

……

Daniel was returned as before, after what seemed like an interminable interval. They had eaten again, a sweet syrupy fruit this time. Carter had started to say they tasted like peaches, but thought better of it.

Daniel awoke more slowly this time. He didn't respond to his friends for a long while, hugging himself and rocking slowly back and forth in his pen. For a while, it was quiet.

"Jack?" Daniel's voice was quiet. He didn't look at the older man.

"Daniel?" Jack was on his knees in an instant - as high up as he could get in the restrictive enclosure - "I'm here. Are you ok?"

"No. No, I'm not ok." He took a breath. "I need to know…." He trailed off.

"What is it? What do you need to know?" Jack pushed against his bars, wishing he could be closer to his friend. Hoping to hell he could give Daniel whatever he asked for. Praying he wouldn't have to look his best friend in the eye and refuse to give him information that might save his life.

"Is there a way…" Daniel swallowed and looked at his feet, hugging himself just a bit tighter. Jack waited for him to finish. "Is there a way for me to kill myself before they come back?"

Jack settled back on his heels. Oh, man. This was one question he did not want to hear.

"Daniel, no!" Carter cried out. "Whatever they're doing to you, it's still worth living. We're going to get out of here. We will." She repeated, perhaps trying to convince them all.

Daniel slowly turned his head and looked at her. She sucked in a breath at the haunted look in his eyes. The utter hopelessness. The fear. The pain. He opened his mouth as if to speak, closed it again wordlessly. Turning to his other friend, he asked, "Is there a way, Jack?"

"Daniel, please…" Jack began.

"He has the right to know, O'Neill."

"Teal'c!" Jack exclaimed angrily.

"Tell me how." The question was quiet, but firm. Daniel turned toward Teal'c. "How?"

"Teal'c! No! Do not tell him anything!" Jack shouted at him. "We are all getting out of here!" He paused, and said more quietly. "Somehow."

The big man looked at his leader as though weighing Jack's determination against his own personal beliefs. Daniel Jackson had been tortured before, but never before had he even mentioned suicide. The conditions he had endured must have been extreme indeed. Would it not torture his friend further to withhold the information and force him to face again what he clearly found intolerable? On the other hand, he had seen O'Neill pull off seeming miracles before and he sincerely wished that Daniel Jackson would survive to see another such event. Perhaps he could avoid making this decision. He turned back to the archaeologist. "Do they not have a sarcophagus with which to heal your body?" Teal'c asked.

"They would have to find me quickly. With luck, it would be too late." Daniel looked down. "How can I do it, Teal'c?"

Teal'c made his choice. "I am afraid that I do not see any method of certain death in these enclosures, Daniel Jackson." The big man looked apologetic. "Can you fit your head between the bars? Once your neck is within, throw your body to one side with as much force as you can to snap it."

Without looking at the others, Daniel proceeded to press his head against the bars. Carter and O'Neill begged him to stop. Daniel was unable to squeeze his head between the bars. "Any other ideas, Teal'c?"

The Jaffa considered. "I am sorry, Daniel Jackson. I do not see any other way." He paused. "If I could but reach you, I would assist you in your goal. But I cannot."

"Teal'c!" Jack all but screamed. "That is enough talk about suicide! We are going to get out of here and you" he turned to Daniel, "are going to live. And that's an order!" Not that anyone around here was following his orders, but he couldn't think of anything else at the moment. He was the leader; he had to keep them going, help them believe they'd find a way out. Pretend to have some semblance of control. He hated feeling so goddamned _helpless_.

Before Daniel could reply, the doors opened and the guards returned. Again, they came for Daniel. Jack screamed at them, tried desperately to get their attention away from his friend, but to no avail. Daniel fought furiously but, mindful of their master's threat, this time the guards were ready. The struggle was brief, and he was taken from the room again.

…….

'Room service' again arrived soon after Daniel's departure. This time it took the form of a salty blue pudding. Very salty. Jack wiped the sticky residue from his fingers onto his pants. He wasn't ready to go so far as to finish eating this, even to keep up his strength.

"So, Carter, any comment on the menu?" He knew she had been thinking about the peachy things they had eaten last. He had been a bit concerned himself, but this goo wasn't reminiscent of anything he had said. Hell, it wasn't even reminiscent of _food_.

She was making a face and wiping her fingers on the floor outside her pen. "No, sir. Just wishing I had something to drink." As if the pudding weren't salty enough to start with, it stuck to the inside of her mouth, making her even thirstier.

Teal'c, having seen the others' reaction to the pudding, had set his outside his pen without tasting it.

…….

This time, when Daniel awoke, he was still in the interrogation room. He tensed with fear. _Oh, God, it wasn't over yet_. A few minutes passed silently and… painlessly. Well, at least without any fresh torment being heaped on him. Just as he finally began to relax the tiniest bit, he heard someone move behind him. The Goa'uld came into view above him.

"You are awake." The Goa'uld reached out to touch his captive's face. The smaller man pulled away as far as he could. The Goa'uld smiled and stroked the unwilling face anyway. It was amusing how much the Tau'ri hated this particular kind of touch. It made him want to do it more often. Some kinds of torture don't require physical pain.

He continued to slide his fingers languidly across the captive's face, watching the other man's teeth clench, wondering idly whether it was the false tenderness or the mere intimacy of the touch that engendered the reaction. Not that it mattered. He didn't particularly care what his toys were thinking; he just enjoyed playing with them. "You wish to enjoy my company further?" No response. His fingers closed tightly around the other man's chin. "Answer!"

"No." It was a resigned whisper. Daniel closed his eyes, sure he was being toyed with. Sure the torments were about to begin again.

"You don't need to come back here."

Daniel's eyes snapped open and he looked at his captor. Surely, this was a joke? A mental torture to accompany the physical.

The Goa'uld smiled at him and resumed stroking his face. "You don't have to come back here," he said again. "But I don't want to be lonely. Choose one of your companions to take your place."

Daniel's eyes widened. _No! He could never do that. Never!_

"Perhaps the woman?" The Goa'uld continued speaking, as if musing to himself. "I could think of some interesting activities for her. Or the Jaffa," he spat the word. "There's definitely lots of fun disposing of traitors. As for your mighty leader," he continued caressing Daniel's face absently as he contemplated. "That one's outrage when you were retrieved was most amusing. He feels responsible for you, yes? Perhaps he would be even more entertaining if he watched…. Yes, yes that's it." He looked into Daniel's eyes. "You will come willingly to me next time," his smile widened as Daniel shivered with the words "next time." "You will come willingly to me next time," he repeated, emphasizing the two words slightly, "with no help from my guards. Or else they will take the girl to entertain me and your leader to watch."

"No! Please, no!" Daniel tried to shake his head, but the Goa'uld's caresses held him.

"I will give you some time to decide." He looked up at his guards. "Return him to his pen."

…..

The three looked up as the door opened. The guards escorted Daniel, walking this time, back to his cage. They ignored Jack, as usual.

"Daniel? Are you ok?" Jack asked. His relief at seeing his friend returned in a conscious state had quickly waned as he caught a closer look at the man's face. It was just a glimpse as Daniel crawled into his cage; he huddled there now, curled in on himself, face hidden. "Daniel?"

No answer.

Daniel started when Sam touched his arm, only then realizing that things had changed in his absence. He leaned toward her and she hugged him through the bars. She could feel his trembling, and held him as tightly as she could manage, repeating his name and that she was there over and over. She wished she could tell him that it would be all right, that he was safe, but she couldn't.

After a while, Daniel realized that there was an extra hand on his shoulder. He sat up and looked around. All of the cages had been moved. Sam was now nearest the door, with Daniel's cage abutting hers, and Teal'c's alongside his. Teal'c's hand was on his shoulder. Jack's pen was on the other side of Teal'c, and turned a bit so he had a good view of the other three but was out of reach of them all. A little reminder that Jack's torture would be to watch the others' pain.

"Teal'c?" Daniel turned toward the big man and clasped his hand.

"Daniel Jackson." The big man said nothing further.

Jack was on his knees in his own pen. "Hey, Danny-boy, I'm here, too." The colonel tried desperately to think of something to say. He had to keep Daniel away from the topic of suicide, especially with Teal'c so close. The Jaffa could easily kill the archaeologist with his bare hands. Hell, when it came to that, Carter could, too. But there had to be another way out. There _had_ to be.

"Jack." There was an odd tone in the younger man's voice. Jack tried to figure it out. Not anger for his failure to protect. Not apology for impending assisted suicide. It sounded like pity. Pity? For Jack? The man was being dragged off to face god-knew-what and Daniel felt pity for Jack?

It hit him then - Daniel felt sorry for him because he was to be next. That was why his cage was separate from theirs, to make it easier to extract him. Jack felt a ray of hope at the thought. Not that he was happy to be facing torture. Been there. Done that. Didn't want the T-shirt. Nevertheless, he was bolstered to think that at least it would give Daniel a reprieve. And that he, Jack, wouldn't be left again to wait and wonder what was happening to one of his team.

Daniel did not respond to them any further. Carter and Teal'c each reached out reassuring hands to touch him. He would have moved away from them if he could. He was afraid to move toward the temptation of Teal'c's strong hands. He knew the man could - and would - snap his neck if he asked. And that he would then try to hold off the guards long enough that he could stay painlessly dead. Nor could he move towards the warmth of Sam's embrace. He didn't deserve her comfort. Not when he wasn't sure that he could go willingly back to that chamber of horrors. Not when she would pay the price for his failure if he did not.

They came again after another long interval. A strangled sound escaped from Daniel as the door opened. He crouched, his breathing becoming hard and ragged. Teal'c and Carter crouched, too, ready to attack the guards, ready to defend him. Jack was ready, anticipating the damage he would do to the guards before they could subdue him.

They walked past Jack, ignoring him as usual. His expectation turned to futile anger as the guards opened Daniel's door, reaching carefully across so as not to be in range of either Teal'c or Carter. Stepped back and looked inquisitively at Daniel.

He didn't move, remaining crouched there, staring wild-eyed back at them. The guards stepped forward. As Sam and Teal'c lunged toward them to attack, Daniel jerked backwards, bumping the rear of his cage. It opened. He crawled slowly out, not looking at his friends. He paused at the door, shaking so violently that he couldn't stand. One of the guards took a step toward him and he jerked his head back. Used the cage as a support to force himself to his trembling legs. Took a staggering step toward the hallway. And another. They could see his body shaking, hear his ragged breath, as he fought his own terror.

The guards had said not one word, had laid not a finger on him.

He made it all the way to the interrogation room, collapsing on his knees just inside the door.

"So, you have chosen to spend some more time with me, my pet," the waiting Goa'uld said in a silky voice. "Or so it would seem. Will you take your accustomed place here, or shall I send for the girl?"

Daniel shook his head and tried to make his unwilling body move toward the restraints.

"Answer me!" the Goa'uld snapped. "Shall I send for the girl?"

"N-No." This time he made it over to his 'accustomed place.' One of the guards came over and began fastening the restraints, one by one, very slowly. Before each one, the Goa'uld reminded him he could choose to leave, made him repeat aloud his commitment to stay. Made him _ask_ to stay.

…..

The guards returned, silent as usual, and deposited their next meal. Sam could barely hold back the nausea inspired by the smell. That should have been warning enough not to actually look into the bowl. Sightless eyes stared reproachfully back at her from the decapitated heads of small reptiles. "Snake heads!"

Teal'c took a diffident look in his bowl, confirming her assessment. "O'Neill, did you not mention 'snakeheads' the last time the guards came?"

"Not you too, Teal'c." Jack was getting seriously pissed, on top of being seriously worried about Daniel. "Besides, wouldn't serving snake heads make them canni-"

"Sir!" Sam interrupted. "I'm sure they're just giving us progressively more disgusting food to see whether we'll eat it." It was rather lame, but she definitely did not want the word 'cannibal' to come out of anyone's mouth in this place. The colonel might not want to believe it, but there was entirely too much coincidence between his words and the cuisine for her taste. Literally.

…..

Daniel awoke in his pen once again. "Daniel Jackson," a familiar voice said.

With a low groan, the smaller man rolled up onto his knees. "Teal'c." He looked to the other side. The other enclosure was empty. "Sam! What happened!"

"You were unconscious when the guards returned. Oddly, they opened your gate and stood there for a time before taking Captain Carter and Colonel O'Neill."

"Jack!" Daniel turned frantically toward where his friend had been. He was gone, cage and all.

"They did not even attempt to remove him from his pen," Teal'c told him. "They slid poles through and carried the cage out with him inside. He was most frustrated."

Daniel barely heard the words. Sam and Jack were gone. And the Goa'uld would… would… No! No, no, no! He didn't realize that he cried the words aloud. "It's not fair!" he screamed, looking upward toward where he imagined the monitoring device must be. "It's not fair! It was supposed to be me! You said I could! You said…" he pitched forward in despair, bumping his gate. It swung open. He froze, looking at it. "You said…" he whispered. He could practically hear the Goa'uld laughing at him. _You'll come running to me one day_. Daniel crawled out of his pen, hearing the evil voice taunting him. _You'll beg for my attention. All my pets do_. He pushed himself to his feet.

"Daniel Jackson!" Teal'c wrestled with his gate, trying to join his teammate. The Jaffa's enclosure was secure, as Daniel knew it would be. Teal'c was not part of the game - yet. Daniel headed for the hallway, moving at a shambling run as his personal terror warred with his fear for his friends.

The door of the interrogation room didn't open automatically for him as it had before. He crashed into it and slid to the floor. Pounded on it. Called out for his tormentor. The door slid open and he spilled into the room.

Sam was in the restraints, with a gag in her mouth to prevent her from speaking to Jack as he watched from his cage, helpless to protect her. Jack was untouched, his cage merely placed at a good vantage point to view the proceedings.

The Goa'uld stood over Sam, caressing her face as he had Daniel's, no doubt telling her what was to come. He looked up as the door opened. Smiled with anticipation.

Daniel went toward them. Reached for the restraints. "Let them go. You promised."

The smile widened. "I was lonely. And you didn't come to me. You knew what would happen."

"I was unconscious!"

The Goa'uld shrugged, turned back towards Sam.

"You promised! It's not fair!" He grabbed the Goa'uld's arm.

"Guards!" The guards appeared as if from nowhere. "The little one would like to watch, too. Help him take a seat."

"No!" Daniel cried, tightening his hold on the Goa'uld's arm.

The Goa'uld looked expectantly at him.

Daniel knew then what was required. _You'll beg for my attention. All my pets do. _He slid to his knees, his hands on the Goa'uld's robe. And he begged. Begged for his place back. For another chance. For more time with him. Everything the Goa'uld had predicted he would say. He forgot his pride. His fear. He had endured too much already for this to happen now; he had survived on the knowledge that he was protecting his teammates. He couldn't let it all be for nothing. He bowed his head and begged.

The Goa'uld tousled Daniel's hair as one would rumple a dog's ears. The smaller man looked up hopefully. The Goa'uld put his hand under Daniel's chin. Raised him gently to his feet. Looked into his eyes. "Guards!" he called.

"No!" Daniel cried, clutching the Goa'uld's arms.

The Goa'uld laughed. "Guards!" he repeated. "Take the woman away. This one shall entertain for now."

The guards released Sam, who immediately attacked. But there were too many, even less the one she pushed into Jack's capable hands.

Daniel didn't watch, couldn't watch, as she was quickly subdued and taken away. He stood, staring into his captor's eyes, trying to convince himself that as long as he held the Goa'uld's gaze the alien would not join the fray. Hoping that Sam would understand that being dragged back to a kennel was better than staying here, that she and Jack wouldn't hate him for not fighting a battle they could not win.

The Goa'uld stroked Daniel's cheek.

Daniel clenched his teeth, narrowed his eyes, but did not back away from the touch.

"Yes," the Goa'uld said softly, "you have been most amusing." He turned toward a table filled with implements.

"Attack him, Daniel! Push him toward me!" Jack hissed, arms outstretched through the bars. The fair-haired man stood uncertainly. "Daniel!"

The Goa'uld didn't even turn around, merely made a show of lining up several unpleasant-looking tools.

"I can't!" Daniel looked imploringly up at Jack. "He'll bring Sam back. And make you watch."

The Goa'uld turned back, smiling, and tousled Daniel's hair again. "Good boy. Now get in your accustomed place."

Daniel hesitated. Fresh guards stepped out of the alcove that hid them from general view, ready to enforce their master's bidding. "What about Jack?"

"I thought perhaps he could help me select my tools."

"Like hell I will!" Jack spat.

"As he chose the menu for your friends."

Jack froze.

The Goa'uld smiled. "Sooner or later he will speak or move, and something in his behavior will make the choice." The Goa'uld laughed and walked over to Jack. "You see? All my pets learn to obey." He ruffled Jack's hair, but looked at Daniel. He knew he was safe enough near the statue that had been fury incarnate just moments before. He turned to Jack, stroked his face with mocking familiarity, murmured something for his ears alone. This one twitched not a muscle. _Oh, he would be such fun to break._ "So? Will you choose now or keep us in suspense?" No response.

"No! Please don't do this," Jack could almost hear the words Daniel had bitten back. _To him_. Please don't do this _to Jack_. Daniel started to sink back to his knees, prepared to beg for Jack. Not for himself. He'd known something like this was coming, had pitied Jack for it. Had protected his teammates even when it came to this, to begging for his own torment. For their reprieve. The colonel's mind screamed in vain fury even as his body kept perfectly still.

The Goa'uld frowned. "Do not repeat yourself. You know I bore easily." Daniel stopped midway and raised himself back to standing.

"Is there no other way I can - amuse - you?" Daniel tried his best puppy-dog look on the Goa'uld. Jack howled inside, but showed nothing outside.

The Goa'uld considered. "You have pleased me today, my pet," he said, patting Daniel's head. "Perhaps I shall reward you." Daniel looked hopeful. "He can make his choice from the holding room this time," he emphasized the two words, seeing the expected tremor pass through the other man. "And then next time…" even Jack could see Daniel's shiver at the words.

"Don't spoil the surprise," was the best Daniel could come up with. He had no idea what else to say to prevent Jack from being forced to participate in this. Perhaps the idea of suspense would at least postpone it.

The Goa'uld laughed with delight, his eyes sparkling. "You please me indeed, my pet. _Surprises_." He said the word slowly, savoring it. "Yes. We will think of new games for next time," again the emphasis, again the shiver, "while we wait for him to make his first choice."

Daniel moved into position. He closed his eyes, refusing to look at either Jack or his captor. Jack remained perfectly still, almost weeping with controlled rage. The Goa'uld moved close to Jack, daring him to strike. Ran his fingers languidly across the man's face, murmured to him softly, traced the hands that longed to be wrapped around his neck. Jack resisted the temptation; he knew that killing the Goa'uld would merely determine Daniel's fate.

The Goa'uld continued to caress the unmoving colonel. "Do not worry, we are in a generous mood; you will have your own surprises. And you and your friends can participate in his."

"No!"

The Goa'uld turned to Daniel. "Jealous, my pet? You wish all my attention for yourself?"

"Y-yes," Daniel answered weakly. Jack felt like vomiting. Imagined what _that _might translate to in torture devices. Held it in.

"That is understandable, my pet. But you know that I bore easily." He leaned closer, warming to his subject, excitement building in his voice. "Surprises! Suspense! I hadn't thought about using the psychological aspects. Think how much longer it can last!"

Apparently, Daniel was thinking about it; his body was rigid, his knuckles white where he clutched the open restraints.

"Think how much more _intense_ it can be!" He turned suddenly, as if struck by an idea. Went to the shelves on the wall, searched a bit. "Yes! Here it is." He turned back with his prize. "The Blood of Sokar. This will --"

"No! Please!" Daniel moved toward the Goa'uld.

"You surprise me, my pet," the Goa'uld said, his voice hard now. "Shall I have the girl returned?"

Daniel stopped, uncertain. He couldn't let him bring Sam back. Nor could he obediently drink the Blood of Sokar. He had to do something. The silence lengthened. _Say something, dammit_, he told himself. Stall for time. "Surprise," he said faintly.

"What?"

_Oh, good one, Jackson,_ he berated himself. _Now what?_ He paused. "Let me surprise you."

A raised eyebrow. "Indeed?" He walked close to Daniel, stroked his face, watched the teeth clench. "And what did you have in mind?" he drawled silkily.

Daniel hesitated again. He finally said something in the Goa'uld language, the words rushing out with a gasp.

The Goa'uld looked surprised. An evil smile slowly crossed his face. "Very well," he agreed.

Daniel looked relieved.

"While we wait for him," the Goa'uld gestured to Jack, "to make his first choice." Daniel started to object, then dropped his head in resignation. He couldn't expect much more from the sadistic alien.

The Goa'uld lifted Daniel's chin, forced him to make eye contact. "You wouldn't want me to break a promise," he taunted, bringing back Daniel's own words. "I told him he could decide this time," -- he could feel the other man tremble, it was delicious - "and so he will. But next time," - oh, that shiver! How very amusing this one was! - "you will have my complete attention. And every time thereafter, for as long as you amuse me." He smiled at his captive, enjoying the sight and feel of his terror.

"Guards!" Again, they appeared as if from nowhere. "Take him away for now," he jerked his shoulder at Jack.

………

Jack remained perfectly still as they carried him back to the holding room. His muscles cried out for movement, to be stretched from their awkward positions. He could handle that, had been through far worse, would _cause_ far worse if he moved.

Sam and Teal'c spoke to him when they were alone in the room. He did not answer. Did not move. Listened to them discuss him, decide that the Goa'uld had paralyzed him - which, of course, he had. More effectively, more painfully, than breaking his neck.

……

The time passed interminably. Jack didn't move, barely blinked. Just waited. And wondered. Wondered what Daniel had offered that held off their joint suffering with the Blood of Sokar. Wondered if it was better or worse than whatever 'choice' would be made when Jack eventually collapsed from exhaustion. Wondered how long Daniel would be made to play Scheherazade in this twisted version of 1001 Arabian Nights, buying another night of his teammates' safety with each day of original suffering of his own devise. Wondered how long he himself could remain immobile to avoid adding to his friend's pain. Wondered if he should have let Teal'c kill the archaeologist when he had the chance. Wondered if he should order Teal'c and Carter to kill each other now while they had the chance.

_I hadn't thought about using the psychological aspects. _The Goa'uld's words came back to him. This after making Daniel come willingly to suffer. Making him beg for it. Forcing Jack to watch as he prepared to torture Carter. Gagging Carter so she couldn't forgive her commander's failure to protect her. Making Jack choose the method of torment for his teammate. Making Daniel think of creative ways to entertain his captor. The Goa'uld had seen Daniel attempt suicide, had heard Teal'c offer to help if he were able. Had then put him in easy reach of Teal'c as well as Carter, a tangible offer of an easy death from one at the expense of the other. All along, he had been playing with the archaeologist's mind as well as his body. What would that sick bastard come up with if he put his mind to it? If he augmented it with the Blood of Sokar?

………..

"They were to be delivered intact," the female Goa'uld said, frowning at the limp figure still bound in restraints.

"This one has been repaired with the hand device," the male Goa'uld shrugged. Inwardly, he remembered making the man beg for each tiny bit of healing, encouraging him with a little manual manipulation of his wounds if he sounded insincere. A last bit of Goa'uld creativity to say goodbye to his inventive pet. "He will wake eventually; it may take a few days." He hoped his parting gift to his other pet would last even longer.

"Very well," the female answered. "Have him put aboard my ship."

……….

Jack, who had been trying very hard to stay awake, became alert at once when he heard a sound. The door opening? He didn't dare look to find out. Was Daniel coming back? Had Jack done something to make a choice? He tried to remember whether he had moved in any way. His screaming muscles said he hadn't.

_Be still_, he repeated to himself, a mantra in his mind. Figures came into view. Two slaves in Egyptian garb. They lifted Carter's cage. _No! Don't take her!_ His mind screamed. _I'm sorry, Sam. So sorry. I can't help you. Can't get out of this damned unbreakable cage. If I even try, my action will choose Daniel's torment. Can't help you. Sorry. So sorry…._

They came back for Teal'c soon after, struggling a bit more under his weight. Left Jack alone and helpless in his cage. _Be still. Just hold on. Hold on to the bars. Hold on to the hope that nothing will happen to Daniel if you don't move. Hold on to the hope that he won't hurt Sam or Teal'c until he finishes playing with you and Daniel._

They came again, approaching his cage this time. One now carried a large syringe, like a small turkey baster. The Blood of Sokar? Had the Goa'uld tired of his game and decided to intensify it? Jack watched with trepidation as they approached. He could resist, probably even avoid the syringe as long as he was in the cage; but what would that mean to Daniel?

…….

They deposited him in what appeared to be the hold of a small ship. Sam and Teal'c were there, also in their little cages. They called to him. He did not respond.

Teal'c told him that he had overheard the slaves saying that SG-1 was being given over to a new Goa'uld. A female, who was displeased with their condition and would perhaps heal Jack and Daniel.

Was it true? Jack wanted it to be true - almost any other Goa'uld had a fair chance of being an improvement. He see-sawed between hope that it was real and fear that it was a trick, every optimistic thought immediately raising a companion pessimistic one. He held still, hands clenching ever tighter around the bars, as his mind raced.

After a while, he heard footsteps. He saw feet, legs.

"Dad!" Carter exclaimed.

Jack almost cried out for joy with her. Jacob was here. They were safe! Free! He relaxed his grip on the bars and his fingers promptly cramped, payback for holding them for so long. He held still, waiting for the pain to subside.

"Sam!" Jacob responded, kneeling to open her pen. He took her in his arms, pulling her from the cage. As they embraced, he glanced at Jack over Sam's shoulder. His eyes glowed briefly golden.

_No, Sam, no! It _was_ a trap - Jacob would be in control at a moment like this, not Selmac. The eyes shouldn't have glowed_. Jack almost called out a warning to her, catching himself at the last moment. This must be a trick to get Jack to choose Daniel's punishment. The disappointment was crushing; there would be no last-minute reprieve, no end to the hell they had found themselves in.

Sam felt her father tense, and pulled back a bit, looking at his face. "What's wrong?"

The man's eyes closed briefly then opened again. Jacob, retaking control. He smiled slightly at his daughter and her commander. "Nothing. Selmac is angry; we were told that you were all unharmed. First Daniel, and now," he gestured toward Jack. "Is that the Blood of Sokar on his face?"

_Nice try, snake_, Jack thought_. Like I'd believe that Selmac was angry enough over me to overtake Jacob at a moment like this. _

"Is Daniel ok?" Sam held her father's arm, preparing for the worst.

"He's up front, sleeping. He'll be fine in a couple of days." He turned back toward Jack. "How about you, colonel?"

Jacob and Sam moved in front of Jack. They were quickly joined by Teal'c. They called to him, but he was on to them. He didn't respond. _Be still. Hold on. You can get through this._

They tried to pry his fingers loose, to move his body, but he held still. They decided to try a healing device. A new person approached. Freya/Anise! The sight of the snakehead with the device on her hand nearly made him jump back. _Not this, too. Would the conniving Tok'ra offer a healing device, only to have it turn out to be a ribbon device instead? Or would she have something more devious in mind? Hold on, Jack. You have to hold on._

"I can find nothing wrong with him," Freya/Anise announced. "His muscles were stiff from inactivity, but there was no damage or paralytic drug that I could find. I soothed the tension, perhaps that will help."

_Right, snake. I do feel more relaxed, but also tired. The hand device always leaves you so tired. But I won't move. I won't. You can't get me this easily, snake._

"Is that the Blood of Sokar on his face?"

"It would not matter if it were; there is no discernable trace of that or any other drug in his system."

_Just like the slaves had said; it wouldn't be found unless you knew what to look for. That must be what this setup was about,_ Jack thought. Tempting him to move, to break his silence and ask for the cure; to try to save himself and at the same time determine Daniel's fate. And it _was_ tempting; how much worse would the Goa'uld's games be if Jack could no longer tell what was real? Something was going to happen to Daniel no matter what he did. Should he try to minimize future damage by talking now? On the other hand, how could he trust the snake to really give him the antidote? And what was to stop him from being drugged again anyway? But he could be lucid between times, maybe even find an escape. He felt his heart racing in time to the desperate debate in his mind, all of it underscored by the unknown time limit before the drug's effect would become permanent.

…..

After a while, the others left and Carter sat beside him. She pulled a blanket around his shoulders. Told him that everything would be alright. Doc Fraiser would fix him right up. And if she couldn't, they would go to the Tollan. And the Asgard.

His breath caught ever so slightly. _They would use every good memory he had to trick him, _Jack realized_. And they'd use his friends against him. They were using Sam - or drug-induced vision of her -- now. There must be somewhere for him to hide in his mind. Someplace they didn't know about. He thought about all the places they had been, intending to let his mind go to one of them, a safe haven for his soul if not his body._

Sam heard, thought she heard, a tiny change in his breathing. She leaned closer, excited. He had responded. At least she thought he had. To talk of his friends. She continued, eager to help. Began listing all the good people they had met, all the places they would take him. All the friends who would help him move again.

Jack resolutely held on, unmoving as she systematically eliminated his mental sanctuaries. _You didn't get me this time, you bastard_, he thought, a bit smugly. And then he heard the Goa'uld's voice murmuring to him, the words he had spoken so softly in the interrogation room. _It's just a matter of time, my pet…_ _And we will have plenty of that._ _We will enjoy the others together, you and I, slowly. Just imagine the choices I will give you the next time. And the next. You are their leader; you will command their experiences, watch their struggles. And when your friends are all used up, you will have your own time. An infinite number of next times.… _

He shivers, remembering the words.

Next Time.


End file.
